Rep. Dent, Sen. Casey split on military action against Syria

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey argued Tuesday in favor of U.S. military action against Syria, while U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent signaled opposition to it.

Other area lawmakers were less decisive.

Casey, D-Pa., who was briefed Tuesday by administration officials on the subject, said he will vote next week to give Obama the authority to punish President Bashar Assad with limited airstrikes for suspected use of chemical weapons on civilians.

"I think the most dangerous course would be to say we condemn what you do — it's a crime against humanity — but that's all we're going to do," Casey said. "If you don't take action, in essence you're forgiving the crime."

Dent, R-15th District, who has not yet been briefed by the White House, said he would hear out the administration's arguments, but that he's "completely unpersuaded at this point." He indicated he's a likely "no" vote.

Cartwright, who with Dent represents the Lehigh Valley, declared himself skeptical but said he will listen to the administration's case before deciding how to vote.

A final classified briefing is scheduled for Monday evening for lawmakers, to be followed by votes in subsequent days. The Senate will vote first.

Nationwide, Dent's congressional district has the highest population of Syrian-Americans, a Morning Call review of Census survey estimates from 2011 shows. The district boundaries have changed, but it still contains Lehigh County, where many of the Syrian-Americans live.

The local Syrian-Americans tend to be Christians, a minority in Syria. Individuals within that group, whether they support Assad or not, have said in recent interviews they oppose a U.S. strike.

Dent lashed out at Obama for failing to take action sooner in Syria, which has been in the throes of a civil war since early 2011. He argued that the United States should have helped opposition forces much earlier — and that at this late stage there's little to be done without engaging in an all-out war.

"The time has long passed to intervene in a constructive manner," Dent said. "There is a war-weary American public, and a half-measured and poorly thought out military strike is only going to expose America and its friends to greater risk."

Public opinion polls show a majority of Americans oppose U.S. intervention. The White House says its proposed action would be very limited, and Obama offered assurance that it would not result in a long-term war like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Casey said the proposed military action is to condemn gassing civilians, not a response to the broader civil war.